U.S. and Israeli efforts to curb the flow of weapons to Gaza resulted in a massive air-force strike on a convey from Sudan headed towards the region, according to reports. Officials from both the United States and Israel declined comment as pilot nationality -Israeli or American- and the origin of the jets, potentially even flying out of Djibouti, remain unclear.
Indirect negotations for the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit appear to be progressing, only approximately one week after the talks supposedly fell apart. Both Palestinian and Egyptian officials expressed significant progress in the talks as the term of Israeli PM Ehud Olmert comes to a close and his legacy largely hinging on how he handles the current negotiations. Hamas chief Khalid Michal rationalizes his arithmetic for mandating the release of hundreds of prisoners in exchange for Shalit in a recent interview , citing historical precedent and the rise in imprisoned Palestinians. However, Israeli-Egyptian relations remain tense on the 30-year anniversary of the nations’ peace accords due to recent anti-Arab overtures in Israel, such as the appointment of controversial right-winger Avigdor Leiberman to Foreign Minister in the next government.
The IDF reprimanded a soldier by demoting him due to an incident during the recent Gaza offensive. The soldier supposedly shot an unarmed Palestinian woman in the leg upon receiving orders from a superior officer. The censure signifies the intention of the IDF to investigate alleged human rights violations, a slew of which emerged over the past several days.
